University of Michigan

[acetyl]

Anyone have any interview questions from the school in the title? The interview feedback forum did not contain a page with Michigan and I thought I would ask the SDN Wolverines what they were asked during interviews. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

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[acetyl]

Wow, really no Wolverines on these forums?

 

[evilolive]

Wow another person applying to Michigan! There don't seem to be many here I have no idea and would be interested in knowing this too. I also got an email that interviews for acceptance MAY occur, implying that it may not be necessary to gain an offer of admission? It's also rolling so as soon as you turn in your application in a month or two they let you know awfully quickly..

 

[acetyl]

Wow another person applying to Michigan! There don't seem to be many here I have no idea and would be interested in knowing this too. I also got an email that interviews for acceptance MAY occur, implying that it may not be necessary to gain an offer of admission? It's also rolling so as soon as you turn in your application in a month or two they let you know awfully quickly..

That's interesting. I have not recieved that email about if interviews will be given. I just assumed they would, since just about every other school requires them. I am out of state, and consider Michigan a 'reach' school for myself because my PCAT wasn't fabulous in every sub-section like they want. In fact, a few sections were rather ******ed if I may say so myself. It's good I don't want to be a creative writer or book editor. I've got the application turned in which was kind of a pain in the rear with it not being a pharmCAS school and having to sent in high school transcripts, and college test scores.

I kind of would like to visit the school, however, as I've never been to Ann Arbor and would like to see where I would be living if I was admitted to the program. So, the interview might be nice for me to experience nonetheless. Good luck in the admission process.

 

[ajmataz]

Hey all,

I just had my first day of class at Michigan - the program is going to be sweet, I can assure you of that.

Regarding the question of interview: Michigan doesn't interview, at least to the best of my knowledge and I am also a non-resident. To be honest, my PCAT score weren't all that hot either - I got an 83 my second try. Solid, but nothing to brag about.

Michigan seems to really push the diversity of an applicant's experiences. I most definitely was not the top tier academically, but I had quite a few work related (non pharmacy) experience that made me stand out from the crowd.

Best to you all in the application process!

 

[acetyl]

Hey all,

I just had my first day of class at Michigan - the program is going to be sweet, I can assure you of that.

Regarding the question of interview: Michigan doesn't interview, at least to the best of my knowledge and I am also a non-resident. To be honest, my PCAT score weren't all that hot either - I got an 83 my second try. Solid, but nothing to brag about.

Michigan seems to really push the diversity of an applicant's experiences. I most definitely was not the top tier academically, but I had quite a few work related (non pharmacy) experience that made me stand out from the crowd.

Best to you all in the application process!

Thank you for the response first of all, it's nice to know for sure about the interview question. Regarding the PCAT, my score was good composite wise, 87, but just low in reading and verbal. I had an email dialogue with Assistant Dean Perry, and she told me basically to take the test again because those sub-sections were low, so hopefully they will go up.

The diversity aspect seems to fit into my portfolio a little bit as well. I believe I read on their website that having a broad range of experiences is important, which I whole-heartedly agree with, because it makes it much easier to relate to people. I'm sure they saw that aspect of character in you with your experiences as a personal trainer. People can surely be interesting sometimes.

On another note, I wanted to ask if you visited the campus or knew anyone at the school before you decided to attend? Being an out-of-state student, which I was told, is 99.9% positive that you will remain an out-of-state student as far as tuition is concerned. I know they give lots of scholarship money, but it seems to me to make a decision to spend over 120K is kind of a big one.

 

[ajmataz]

Honestly, not much of a choice for visiting/tuition/non-resident status - U.Michigan was the only school out of eight that accepted me.

 

[evilolive]

They also wanted my SAT scores

 

[acetyl]

They also wanted my SAT scores

Me too. I think that's pretty funny.

 

[Hosstheboss]

where is the interview feedback forum you spoke of earlier......thanks.

 

[Londidondi]

Does the school require GRE? I thought i read that on the website.

Thanks

 

[acetyl]

No, they don't require the GRE for the PharmD degree but probably for the PhD degree in pharmacology.

The interview forum is at the top of this page, under the title "Pharmacy" --> "Pharmacy School Interview Feedback" --> "Browse Feedback"

 

[acetyl]

Alrightie then, it appears as if my application will be complete as of sometime next week. It's rather weird if you ask me but here's the situation:

I completed the really long application, I also am applying to schools that participate in PharmCAS so I had to track down my references and get them to write LOR's on department letterhead and sign over the seal, send PCAT scores, and send high school and college transcripts. I went to local schools and thus figured it would be easier to have both high school and college transcripts send with everything else in one envelope, as long as they were sealed and signed over the seal, like the LOR's. That is apparently not the case, however, as I received a letter from Michigan saying they had received my application but could not make a final decision until they received Official transcripts, which apparently means sent from the school. So basically, I should have put a stamp on those suckers and stuck them in the mail! Pretty weird, but I imagine it's to prevent people from tampering with their transcripts! Good ol' Michigan is going to receive two copies of my grades, so maybe, just maybe, my honesty will score me some points!

 

[ryan_s_edw]

Hi,

I am a P1 at U of M this year and really enjoy it so far. I would encourage you to definitely apply there if you haven't already. The P1 class has about 75 students, so it is a relatively small program within a very large university. Ann Arbor is a great college town, lots of good restaurants, coffee shops, lots of UM pride, etc. I'm very familiar with Ann Arbor as I am a lifelong Michigan resident.
The application process can be tedious. I had to go back and send high school transcript, ACT scores, you name it. I just did what they told me, although shaking my head at times I did very well on the PCAT, and had strong letters of recommendation (they were confidential, so I am assuming that they were strong). I had one from my employer in the medical field and one from a professor. Dean Perry values service very much, and suggested that I volunteer in some way. Despite volunteering in other ways over the years, I decided to volunteer at a local hospital in the oncology ward.
There was no interview, which surprised me, although by the time I received admission I had met with and e-mailed Dean Perry many, many times. She will get to know who you are.
So yah, I think UM pharmacy is great....granted, this is only my second week of class...ha ha. But, I have a good feeling, the professors are very established in their fields and seem interested in teaching. Good luck with your application!

 

[acetyl]

Hi,

I am a P1 at U of M this year and really enjoy it so far. I would encourage you to definitely apply there if you haven't already. The P1 class has about 75 students, so it is a relatively small program within a very large university. Ann Arbor is a great college town, lots of good restaurants, coffee shops, lots of UM pride, etc. I'm very familiar with Ann Arbor as I am a lifelong Michigan resident.
The application process can be tedious. I had to go back and send high school transcript, ACT scores, you name it. I just did what they told me, although shaking my head at times I did very well on the PCAT, and had strong letters of recommendation (they were confidential, so I am assuming that they were strong). I had one from my employer in the medical field and one from a professor. Dean Perry values service very much, and suggested that I volunteer in some way. Despite volunteering in other ways over the years, I decided to volunteer at a local hospital in the oncology ward.
There was no interview, which surprised me, although by the time I received admission I had met with and e-mailed Dean Perry many, many times. She will get to know who you are.
So yah, I think UM pharmacy is great....granted, this is only my second week of class...ha ha. But, I have a good feeling, the professors are very established in their fields and seem interested in teaching. Good luck with your application!

Hello Ryan,

Thank you for the reply. I definetly agree with you that Dean Perry gets to know you, as I too have had an email correspondence with her. I initially sent her an email with my transcript, resume, pcat score, and reasons for wanting to go into pharmacy. I was a business major when I first started college, graduated, and worked in the pizza business for about 6 months when I started hating it. So, I went back to school to earn a professional degree that will allow me to 'really do something' for other people, and not just make money. I considered vet school, medical school, basically every professional school except dental school. I have family relations in medicine and began volunteering in different medical setttings. I was a volunteer in a vet clinic for over a year, decided despite the fact that I loved animals, it wasn't the profession for me. I also volunteered in a charitable health clinic, which contains a pharmacy, and really enjoyed all aspects of working at the clinic.

They put me in the pharmacy one day, and things clicked, I knew where I was going. I also started volunteering at another pharmacy in the downtown of my city. So, as far as service is concerned, I've got it covered. My resume is pretty good as well, I've been involved with all sorts of leadership roles, such as being a chemistry group tutor and teaching assistant for the University. My LOR's were also strong, one from a pharmacist, one from a chemistry professor who's class I rocked, and the third my boss in the chem. department (when I was a TA). Dean Perry also commended me on my academic record, telling me about the scholarships that are available for people who make certain grades in math/science classes. That's very attractive to me since the price of out of state tution is over $30,000/year. If accepted, that would probably equate to something like over $160,000 in total cost including living expenses, and neglecting scholarships. I'm not too worried about the money, but it's definetly something to consider and look at, besides, you pay for what you get, right?
My really only weak point in my application was my subsection in reading and verbal. I was told they raised "red flags" but I thought since my grades were good, as was everything else, that it would be good enough for me to be accepted to the program. We shall see.... Do you remember how long it took for the college to make an admission decision after you submitted your application?

 

[acetyl]

Ok, I received an email today, and here's what I found out:

You may be required to come to Michigan for an interview if the committee requests you to, which I suppose, is if you are on the fence and they want the interview to be what decides if you get accepted or rejected.

 

[ryan_s_edw]

Hi Acetyl,

It sounds like you have a pretty good shot to me. Sounds like you are a good student and well rounded person. I know that Dean Perry said that you should have 70 or better in all subsections, but if one was to score below 70 I'm not sure if that would automatically disqualify you. I would think not.

I got my acceptance letter on St. Patricks day of this year, and it took a week for them to make the decision. I think that is the typical time, about 1 week. It's rolling admissions, I had applied near the deadline, so was a little worried that most of the spots were already filled. But it worked out. It's hard to say what contributed to me getting in, my GPA was pretty good, I did well on PCAT, but in some ways more importantly I had worked for about 4 years as a medical technologist which I think gave me some perspective into the medical field. And I had done a little research, volunteered with an autistic child, was moderately involved in undergraduate organizations. I think they are looking for a well rounded person, and it sounds like you have that going for you. Also, keep up correspondence over time with Dean Perry, I know that she is very involved in the decision making process and as long as your correspondence is pleasant I would think that could only help show your continued interest. Good luck and enjoy your weekend!

Ryan